


Kissing strangers ('til I find someone I love)

by Notquiteright



Category: Romeo And Juliet - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Canonical Character Death, M/M, Mercutio tries kissing everyone, Soulmate AU, with a lil' bit humor (because it's Mercutio), you see colors for the first time after kissing your soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 17:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13746237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Notquiteright/pseuds/Notquiteright
Summary: They say that when you finally kiss your soulmate the world bursts into colors. Naturally that means Mercutio has to kiss everyone until he gets it right.





	Kissing strangers ('til I find someone I love)

Soulmates.

They say everyone has a soulmate, though not everyone is lucky enough to find them. And when they do find them a simple kiss will fill their black-and-white world with the whole spectrum of colors. It is little more than a myth (for how can one prove to a colorblind man that the sky is indeed blue?) but even so most people take solace in the fact that they have a pre-destined other half out there, even if they are not quite so fortunate to actually meet them.

Romeo is obviously enchanted by the notion, spewing poetry and pining for his soulmate almost nonstop. Benvolio is… a bit more skeptic. Always the realist, he cautions against putting so much faith in fairytales instead of living in the real world. And Mercutio… Well. Mercutio is Mercutio. Which means he has a brilliant idea.

“Mercutio this is a horrible idea” Benvolio reminds for the third time this minute but Mercutio just shrugs him off. It _is_ a brilliant idea, no matter what Benvolio thinks.

“You’re just jealous it was not your idea” he retorts with a cheeky grin and his friend scoffs. 

“Indeed, that must be it” he replies drily. “How on earth are you even planning on kissing everyone in Verona?” right on cue Romeo walked in.

“Who is kissing everyone in Verona?” he asks to which Benvolio just points a finger at their way too cheerful friend. Romeo raises an eyebrow “Isn’t this what Mercutio was doing all along?” Mercutio snorts out a laugh, which makes Benvolio glare at him before explaining.

“He intends to kiss everyone until he finds his soulmate. And by everyone I am quite convinced he means _everyone_ ” Romeo hums in thought.

“This _could_ actually work” Benvolio gapes at him. 

“You cannot be serious!”

“I mean the Capulets could be a bit of a problem…”

“ _A bit_ Romeo?!”

“… but nevertheless it might have a chance of success” Mercutio cheers.

“I knew I could count on you. Unlike _some people_ ” he throws a pointed glance at Benvolio “you remember to support your friends” then his smile turns downright mischievous “And if we’re talking about support…”

“Oh no” Benvolio sighs, knowing exactly where this was going.

“I need you to kiss me” Mercutio finishes. Romeo’s eyes widen. 

“Ex…excuse me?” he sputters in shock. Mercutio laughs.

“Everyone my dear friend, everyone.” he winks and continues on “I fully intend to learn what the world looks in color before I die and if that means I’ll have to kiss my best friend then so be it! Come Romeo what do you have to lose?” 

 

Of course Romeo makes a speech then and there about wanting the moment when he sees colors for the first time to be special and that destiny shouldn’t be forced. And of course he gives in two days later anyway. The world remains black-and-white.

 

***

Benvolio is a harder job. The man point-blank refused the first time Mercutio asked. So ever since then Mercutio chases after him, trying to take him by surprise. It is a fun game, and one he doesn’t plan on losing. All things considered Romeo and Benvolio are the two people in the world he loves most. True, the affection is more of a brotherly nature but Mercutio is not one to take chances, nor to back down from a challenge.

 

One day he hovers near Benvolio’s bed and kisses the still half-sleeping man as soon as his eyelids flutter open. This time Benvolio does the chasing with curses on his lips rather than kisses. Mercutio hollers and laughs and he thinks it has definitely been worth it, even as all he sees is the angry face of his friend painted in shades of grey. 

 

***

Mercutio was always a flirt and could definitely charm his way into almost any lady’s bedroom. This hasn’t changed and he thinks it never will (he wants a soulmate not to tie him down, but to help him _see_ ) but now it all comes with a bitter pang of disappointment. It’s not her. Nor her. Nor her or her. He swallows down this sinking, hopeless feeling, drowns it with more kisses, deeper and more passionate and he feels whole again. The trouble is that the cold blackness seems to cage him in more and more and he is nowhere near to finding a way out.

 

***

Romeo wails about Rosaline. How he is sure that she is the one, if only she would let him kiss her to prove it. Mercutio listens, or tries to anyway. He remembers his goal: kiss everyone. Yet even so, he knows he could never kiss the woman his friend desperately believes he loves ( _he doesn’t_ , Mercutio’s mind tells him, _because love is not real to begin with_ ).

 

After Capulet’s ball Romeo acts much differently. Chirpier. He looks at the world with awe, like he is seeing it for the first time. Mercutio is not sure whether he was so broody while pining for Rosaline that he is taken aback when his friend’s spirits return or whether there is something Romeo is not telling him. Even as he is trying to convince himself of the former he sees two dancing figures with laughter on their lips before they lean into a kiss and he can’t help the jealousy. 

 

***

He doesn’t know what makes Tybalt different from anyone else, he only knows that something does. From the very first moment he met him the Prince of Cats captivated him. It was curious then and it is curious even now that Mercutio never stole a kiss. He wants to kiss him, dear God he does. Tybalt sneers at him and all he wants to do is kiss the hatred of his beautiful features. He feels pathetic, he is quite aware he _is_ pathetic but surprisingly he doesn’t mind. He still taunts the other man, riles him up in a way to make him notice him. Tybalt consumes his thoughts and he needs to make sure that he is just as prominent in the Capulet’s mind, never mind that love and desire and hatred and disgust are wildly different motives. He teases and flirts and he wishes he could actually see the blush on his cheeks. Red. It is supposed to be red. People tell him it is and he aches just to see it, to see every part of Tybalt come alive with colors. Still he doesn’t even try to kiss him. Not ever.

 

There is blood, he knows it’s his he can feel it seeping through his wound. But still he only leans forward and captures the lips of his beautiful murderer with his own. His world bursts into a myriad of colors. Tybalt’s eyes are the color of the sky above, only paler, colder. _Blue_ his mind supplies. His hair is black like his old world used to be, and his cheeks are red from anger, and _this is what red looks like_ , he marvels, thinking he never bore witness to a more magnificent sight. Blood loss makes him dizzy and his legs give out. Colors. All his life he wanted to see colors. As he closes his eyes a final time and all the bright hues fade to black again he realizes that _no_. 

All his life he just wanted to see Tybalt.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm a sucker for soulmate aus and once the idea Mercutio chasing everyone for a kiss to find his soulmate appeared in my head it refused to leave me alone and ta-da this happened. How that turned into this massive mountain of angst I'm not entirely sure. I blame Shakespeare.


End file.
